‘Once Upon A Time’: Is This The End Of Captain Swan?

I’m very upset with the outcome of Sunday’s episode of Once Upon a Time. I pretty much screamed at the TV for the last 20 minutes of the episode. And I’m not alone.

The most recent episode of the beloved ABC show has caused upset and outrage throughout the entire fandom. You only have to look at twitter to know. This whole half of the season has been revolved around getting Hook back from the Underworld. And the entirety of Season 5 itself has been very Captain Swan oriented. But finally, this Sunday they had the chance to escape from the Underworld. But the original plan didn’t work-Hook had been dead too long. They find another way, as long as Hook consumes ambrosia, the fruit of the Gods, he can leave. But lo and behold, the tree had been cut down long before they arrived.

The episode ends with Hook telling Emma to go on without him. He’s stuck down there, but she can and needs to go home. She tells him to move on, they embrace, and she leaves the Underworld.

This left the fans somewhere between this:

and this:

But while I’m definitely angry about the end of this episode, I doubt I’ll be angry for long. There is no way we have seen the last of our gorgeous pirate, and Captain Swan is far from gone. And let me tell you why.

1) It’s Bad Writing

Like I said, this whole season has been built on the true love that exists between Captain Swan. First, Hook fighting for Emma, trying to get her back after she’s become the Dark Swan. Then, Hook overcoming being the Dark One himself, sacrificing his life to save not only Emma’s, but the entire town’s. Finally, Emma travelling to the Underworld, The Underworld, to save Hook. To build up an entire season only to have nothing come of it would be terrible writing. This entire season would have been a waste, and the chances of that being the case is slim to none.

2) The Exit

Again, this simply comes down to poor writing. Captain Killian Jones has been a huge a character since Season 2. If he really is to leave the show, there would be a bigger exit. It wouldn’t be at the end of a random episode close to the finale. No. It would be the finale. It would be the last thing the fans saw from Season 5 and it would take up much more time than this goodbye did. The writers are fantastic storytellers, and they know better than to make that rookie mistake.

3) Where was Colin’s Goodbye? And Let’s Talk About Those Photos

When an actor leaves a show, particularly one they’ve been a huge part of for four seasons, the goodbye is a big part. It’s part of what gives the fans closure. But there was no goodbye tweet from or for Colin O’Donoghue. Not to mention that there are photos floating around the internet of Colin filming the Season finale. We’ve seen him filming with Jennifer Morrison in the finale, so trust me. Captain Swan is not dead.

4) He’s a Fan Favourite

Since his entrance back in Season 2, Episode 4, Hook stole the hearts of fans all over the globe. Starting as a baddie, we couldn’t help but love him and his witty charm. But when he turned hero, he became even more irresistible to us. Many fans have claimed they will stop watching the show if Hook leaves it. And there are countless examples of fans in an uproar over favourites dying (cough cough, Game of Thrones, cough cough). And again, if he were to leave the show, it would be a bigger Swan Song than this.

5) It’s un-OUAT-like

Once Upon a Time runs off of happy endings. This show feeds off of it, and that’s what it stands for. Anyone can get their happy ending, if they work for it. If Hook stays dead, they’ll have thrown five seasons of that out the window, saying that no matter how hard you try, you don’t get your happy ending. We all know that isn’t the way this show works. And while some people don’t get their happy ending, love always wins in the end. There is no way that has stopped being the case.

6) Jon Snow

Seriously. If Game of Thrones of all shows, renowned for killing off characters left, right, and center, can bring back Jon Snow!? I think, my fellow Oncers, it’s safe to say Once can bring back Hook.

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Published by Maggie Stancu

Maggie Stancu is a Canadian film critic and recap guru who is obsessed with too many shows and films to count. She is the founder, editor-in-chief, and sole contributor to media news site Fiction's Mistress. Maggie previously contributed to pop culture sites such as ScreenPrism and Movie Pilot, and continues to contribute to Vocal Media. She's also still waiting for her Hogwarts letter, which should arrive any day now...
View all posts by Maggie Stancu